THE GREEN-CHEEKED PARAKEET OR GREEN-CHEEKED CONURE (PYRRHURA MOLINAE) IS A SMALL PARROT OF THE GENUS PYRRHURA, WHICH IS PART OF A LONG-TAILED GROUP OF THE NEW WORLD PARROT SUBFAMILY ARINAE. THIS TYPE OF PARROT IS GENERALLY CALLED A CONURE IN AVICULTURE. IT IS NATIVE TO THE FORESTS OF SOUTH AMERICA.
Green-cheeked Parrots are common in aviculture and are popular companion parrots. They are playful, affectionate and intelligent, known as having a "big personality in a small body". They can learn to talk, albeit with a limited vocabulary and a gravelly voice. They like to be held (although some like it more than others) and can learn tricks such as lying on their backs, "kissing," shaking and even can be potty trained. Green-cheeked Parrots are quiet, so even a unit dweller can enjoy their companionship. They can be prone to biting, particularly when young, but an owner can cure this behavior with patience and time.They love fruits, (especially bananas and raisins), and seeds such as sunflower, safflower, and hemp seeds—all found in their natural environments. Green-cheeked Parrot also love table food—they are flock animals and love to eat with their family. They can eat potatoes, carrots, corn, bread, pasta, and plain popcorn. A clipped and/or caged bird can become obese from eating too many fatty seeds such as sunflower seeds and peanuts. A bird-pellet diet with a calcium supplement provides proper nutrition, but should not be their exclusive diet because of trace chemical additives and bonding agents not found in the parrot's natural habitat. A good rule of thumb is 30% pellet diet, 10% seeds, and fresh foods for the rest—fruits and vegetables, or cooked food. Parrots with health problems related to the kidneys should not be fed a high protein diet, as it may lead to gout] veterinarian prescribed low-protein diets are available for birds with such conditions. Green-cheeked Parrots can live to 30 years with proper care, though the average lifespan is typically 10 years due to owner neglect.
They come in many colors in todays captive breeding world, including but not limited to normal, yellowside, cinnamon, pineapple, blue versions of all four colors, and many others that derive by using a new mutation called American Dilute,
SCIENTIFIC NAME: PYRRHURA MOLINAE
SIZE: SMALL, UP TO 10 INCHES
NATIVE REGION: SOUTH AMERICA
LIFE EXPECTANCY: UP TO 30 YEARS
NOISE LEVEL: LOW TO MODERATE; QUIETER THAN OTHER CONURES.
TALK/TRICK ABILITY: MODERATE
Green-cheeked Parrots are common in aviculture and are popular companion parrots. They are playful, affectionate and intelligent, known as having a "big personality in a small body". They can learn to talk, albeit with a limited vocabulary and a gravelly voice. They like to be held (although some like it more than others) and can learn tricks such as lying on their backs, "kissing," shaking and even can be potty trained. Green-cheeked Parrots are quiet, so even a unit dweller can enjoy their companionship. They can be prone to biting, particularly when young, but an owner can cure this behavior with patience and time.They love fruits, (especially bananas and raisins), and seeds such as sunflower, safflower, and hemp seeds—all found in their natural environments. Green-cheeked Parrot also love table food—they are flock animals and love to eat with their family. They can eat potatoes, carrots, corn, bread, pasta, and plain popcorn. A clipped and/or caged bird can become obese from eating too many fatty seeds such as sunflower seeds and peanuts. A bird-pellet diet with a calcium supplement provides proper nutrition, but should not be their exclusive diet because of trace chemical additives and bonding agents not found in the parrot's natural habitat. A good rule of thumb is 30% pellet diet, 10% seeds, and fresh foods for the rest—fruits and vegetables, or cooked food. Parrots with health problems related to the kidneys should not be fed a high protein diet, as it may lead to gout] veterinarian prescribed low-protein diets are available for birds with such conditions. Green-cheeked Parrots can live to 30 years with proper care, though the average lifespan is typically 10 years due to owner neglect.
They come in many colors in todays captive breeding world, including but not limited to normal, yellowside, cinnamon, pineapple, blue versions of all four colors, and many others that derive by using a new mutation called American Dilute,
SCIENTIFIC NAME: PYRRHURA MOLINAE
SIZE: SMALL, UP TO 10 INCHES
NATIVE REGION: SOUTH AMERICA
LIFE EXPECTANCY: UP TO 30 YEARS
NOISE LEVEL: LOW TO MODERATE; QUIETER THAN OTHER CONURES.
TALK/TRICK ABILITY: MODERATE